POSTWAR READJUSTMENTS IN AGRICULTURE 25 



in slack seasons and will increase the production of material consumed on the 

 farm in the form of fuel, fencing, and lumber. In addition, it should bring cash 

 revenue from periodical cuttings s^'stematically arranged. 



Within recent years the Legislature of Massachusetts has passed several acts 

 to encourage woodland owners in scientific management and forest conservation. 

 One of the latest laws passed with this objective in mind provides for deferred 

 payment of taxes on timber on all woodland which is assessed for less than $25 

 per acre. The future success of Massachusetts farming will depend greatly on 

 the extent to which individual producers make proper utilization of their wood- 

 land in conjunction with their other farm operations. 



ADJUSTMENTS IN PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION 

 Hay and Pasture Improvement 



After the proper adjustments in the size of farms and the amount of cultivated 

 land available, the greatest opportunities will be found in the field of hay and 

 pasture improvement. The total acreages of hayland and plowable pasture in 

 Massachusetts are estimated at approximately 350,000 and 230,000 acres respec- 

 tively. On the basis of the last Census there are about 80,000 acres of idle crop- 

 land in Massachusetts farms. These three items amount to about 660.000 acres 

 of land which is classified as suitable for cultivation or is already producing crops. 

 Considering that the total in crops, exclusive of hay, amounts in Massachusetts 

 to less than one-third of this large area, it becomes evident that the three items 

 under consideration are of vital importance in the agricultural structure of the 

 State. It is difficult to appraise with any degree of accuracy the suitability of 

 these lands for more adequate utilization, because of the variety in the types of 

 soils and other determining factors. 



The lands classified as plowable pasture or hayland, as examination on indi- 

 vidual farms shows, vary from areas with highly productive soil, an even surface, 

 and excellent drainage to areas which are too wet, too stony, or too steep to be 

 suitable for any adequate cultivation without extensive preliminary preparation. 



Sufficient data are already available to indicate that both the carrying capacity 

 of plowable pasture and the yield of hayland may be increased to a considerable 

 extent by adequate application of fertilizer, by stepping up the rate of reseeding, 

 and by more universal development of desirable forage plants, particularly ladino 

 clover. A farm-by-farm investigation and anal^'sis made in Worcester County 

 on 70 representative farms disclosed that it would be feasible with the present 

 resources to double the total acreage of improved hay and pasture on more than 

 two-thirds of the farms. ^ This would result not only in an increased quantity of 

 feed but actually in improved quality. The feeding value of improved pasture 

 and hay, pound for pound, is considerably higher than for the product obtained 

 from untreated fields. As a matter of fact, the mineral and protein content 

 may be more than doubled in many instances. 



To utilize fully the possibilities of hay and pasture land it will be necessary to 

 carry out extensive reclamation and conservation projects. In extending im- 

 proved practices on hay and pasture land, it is more feasible and desirable from 

 the standpoint of conservation to put the emphasis on the utilization of low wet 

 land that can be easily drained than on hilly sections that have to be cleared. 



^Shadegg. F. J. Farm .Adjustments for Maximum Wartime Production in Worcester County, 

 Massachusetts. U.S.D.A. in cooperation with Mass. State College and Agr. Exp. Sta. May 1944. 



